Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-03-09


day in the Brooklyn Tabernacle. and the ser
mon is preached at the reception OF 341 new
ent revival, so that the communicate member
ship Is now 46jl. The Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage. D. d.. the pastor. gave the rigs hand OF
fellowship to the new me.nbers and baptiz ed
about ninety. The audience sang
'.BIest be the tie that binds
r hearts in Christian love-"
There was great arch of flowers over the
pulpit con tanning the words: II believe in the
texts: l. Chronicles, chapter %. verse Sand
four thousand praised The Lord" and Exodus.
chapter IL. verse l4-"This day shall be unto
you for q memorial" He said =
When week bsfore lasa the communicate
membership of tkis church passed into the four
Thousand. now reaching four thousand and
fifty-on the first part of my text came to my
mind. and bethought myself what grand
thing 1t would be If the four thousand of our
COMMUNICATE mem bership would. like the four
thousand OF the ancient Temple, make it their
lifetime business to praise the Lord. Let them
all take harp and timbrel and anthem and
doxoiOgy,
The aIlusion of my second text is to the Pass
over, which commemorated the deliverance of
the children of Israel on the night when the
destroying angel sped through the land of
Egypt, destroying the enemy but saving the
Israeiites, because on the door posts OF their
dwellings was sprinkled the blood of The lamb.
To-day we come to celebrate grander Pass
over, all peril going away from our soul at the
sig At of the sprinkled blood of the Lamb of God
on the door-posts-of our hearts, Christ. our
passoyer sacrificed for us This day shall be
The Sacramento Sabbath. whether it comes
in an American church. or an Eng ish chapel,
or a Scotch kirk, is more impressive than anv
other Sabbath. Its light Is holier. calmer,
sweeter; its voice more tender: iIs touch softer;
its memories are more chastened. The fruits
of the Christian life suddenly ripens like or
chards on the hill fronting the South. The wine
of the Holy sacrament seems pressed from the
grapes of celestial vineyards, and the bread
broken seems to drop from the hand of
Him who parted the lUaves for the five thou
sand. We walk to the church OF God with more
thoughtful face and WI h Quieter step. The ju-
bilant songs of other Sundays are struck
through with pensiveness and are all a tremb C
with tears; and when, at the close of the :
vice, at tho door we shake HANDS, it Is with II
more core ial grasp, because we feel thrilling
through oar body, and mind and soul egreat
doctrines II Christian brotherhood; and our
minds g~ back to our forefatners celebrating
the Sacrament in times OF persecution in Scot
land among the highlands; commemorative
the dying love of CHRIST, while they were pur-
sued OF their enemies. pouring the wine into
rough VIC den cups, dipping the waters OF bap-
t1sm from the mountain rock. until one day
they heard the voices of their enemies coming
up the hi and the pastor ciied out: oh
Lord, tue shepherd, have mercy on the sheep!
and instantly there was roaring heard as OF a
great fioo and sure enough cloud had burst
and there we're great torrents running down
the Inou;, ain side that WHEEL ned their foes
with sud- wrath. What deliverance it was
for them thai Sacramen lal day! Oh. tnst on
this Sacra:lsntal day ths clouds of Gods nier,
cy might 'surst and our sins be whelmed and
days This is the pearl of days. This the dia-
mond days This is the day of days
Among tbs ten thousand million ages of eter-
nifty the st sabbath OF March. 1857, will be to
you sf.njtI ant and memorable, for this day
shall bs u to you" forever and ever "a memo
rial''
press BE- a,use It is a time of rein forcement.
used To mark that if ever lived to see our
memb,ls reach four thousand thought
Lord, leit.. THOU Thy servant depart in peace,
for mine G. es have seen Thy salvation" But
L have oh s,eed my mind and never SO much
wanted % stay now, to them all
enlisted f. God and to watch their victories
What nix It they not accomplish in the way
of MAXI, the world better If they were all
baptIzsd AiLn a double pc! tien of the Holy
Ghost N.nr thousand! mat is four iulI regi-
| mentS, as ,,lilitary men count q thousand to a
| regiment think lot enc hypocrite amonst
them. lSs en into the church sometimes in
large numbers. but each ono as carefully ex
| amit.e'i a. 10 change of heart and evidence of
regeneraGi as though he or she were the only
one pTese ting himself or herself Many Of
our focm~, mambers have passed away into
| the skies I'D have Joined the church trium phi
| ant. bur . have four thousand and more left
| for The church militant TO arms Quit you
| like me-. We want no reserve corps among
| them. INTO action all Of you. Some will
| be of1icei- and command. Some will make
| cavalry ch rye. some will be sharp-s hooters.
| Some wi stand guard. Some will be on pick
| ct DUTY. any OF you viii belong 10 the rank
| and eie, let there be no strsggiers, none off
| on fEr;uu il, not one dcserter. With Christ
for comm aderin chief, and the one-s:arred,
| bood- III ~ led banner of mansec and cross to
| lead tbs y, give The order that the general
| in the pe~ gave, when, rising in his stirrups.
his hair 4 ing IN the wind, he cried out TIL
| ali ,he 10 !. heard him, Forward! the whole
| lie!
| inere is .lso something in such scene to
deeply III, y ess one, because itrehe9rses death
scene. A.g you knew there is something
| very tnu:-iing in such an incident. Though
| you are hoIel and it is stranger that is
| dying. b. softly you move about the place,
| and if yoa come up TO his couch IL is with IN
| covered ID Even the voice of the jester is
stopped, aud when the eyes Of that stranger
are cIosec is with emotion. But am to 1el
| you this 'rDing OF a death such as has never
| before % nee occurred. When we die we die
for ourset. S, and the crisis is alieviated by all
| b nehcen MINISTRIES. Ra,hines for the hands;
| bathinga the head bathings for The feet;
| the light turned down low o. set In just the
right plac all the offices Of affection about us
| when we g me to die. But not SO with Jesus.
| He died Lss Tor Himself, tut he died i'll tor
ment ana ne died Tor others. He might have
| moved ana in gardens made by HIS own
| hand az irthiy polentate amid vineyards and
| olive grows slopiDg TO the sea. Instead of be
ing tossed II the fishing boat on Tiberius He
might haze chosen Sunshlny dag and q
| pleasant wave for the lake crossing. Instead
| Of being follow ed by an unwashed rabble lie
| might havs charmed saphedr ms AMI univer-
| sitlts wit His eoQuenc Instead Of a cross
| and buf"n Of twisted bramhies on His orow
| He might nave died ID the castle of q Roman
| lnerchant the air bland with lilies and f. ank-
incense. sat, NJ: he died in torture; the COED
| for the la :; The kind tor the crue tae wise for
, the ignorant, the divine for the human. Oh,
| how tea, ariy we feel wards any one who
| has done is great kindness and perhaps at the
| imperiliil... OF his own life! How we ought o
| feel towa'ds Christ, the aPtain of salvation.
| on the wa e horse, riding down our foes, but
in the ulo.-,ent ii e made The victorious charge
| the iaucss death struck Him.
| There wa n very touching scene among an
Indian tn ne in the lash century. 1t seemed
| that one uf the chieftains had slain man be-
longing tG An opposite tribe, and that tribe
| came up 4 saiu: I'VE will ex terminate you
| surrender
| that crimtn The eh leftain who lid the crime
| stepped ot fiom the ranks and said: u am
| not afraid TO -iie, but / have a wife and four
| children. aud have a father aged aud a moth
| er aged, w1om l support by hunting. and
sorrow to leave them helpless" Just as he said
| that his OIL father fon behind stepped out
| and said: He sh all not die. take his place.
l am ola and well-stricken in years. l can do
| no good I might as well die. My days are al
| most over. de cannot be spared Take me-"
| And they accepted the sacrifice. Wonderful
| sacrificed you say, but not SO wonderful as that
| found in the gospel for we deserved to die,
| aye, we We're sentenced when Christ, not worn
| out with years, bat in the flush of Ills youth,
said: ''Savd that man from going down to the
pit; am tse ransom. Put his burdens on my
| shoulders. Let his stripes fall on my back.
| Take my hart for his heart. Let me die that
| he may NV. Shall 1t be told to-day Ia heaven
| that nOtwit lsLapdiDg all those wounds and all
| that blood and all those tears, and all that
| agony, you would not accept Him?
''Was 1t for crimes that had done,
| H sroaped upon the tree?
Amazing pity. grace unknown,
! Aud love beyond degree
There Is no woe amid The surroundings OF
| that scene that impresses me raore than that
| OF His owl; mother. You need not point her
out TO I Can see by the sorrow, the an
gush the woe, by the nrthrown hands. That
| all meaus mother. 'Oh,'' you say, why didn t
she go down to the foot OF the hill and sit with
| her back 10 the scene? 1t was too horrible for
her to iook upon." Do you not Know when a
child is Ia anguish or trouble it always makes
| n heroine Of a mother? Take her away, GU
| say, from the cross. You cannot drag her
away. she will keep on looking; as long as
her son retthes she will stand there looking
Oh what u scene it was for q tender hearted
mother to Look upon! Bow gladly she would
have sprung TO his relief. 1t was her son
Her son! How gladly she won Id have Chamber
ed up on u: G cross and hung there herself if
her sou cIud have been relieved. How
strengthening she would have bean to Christ
il she might have come close by Him and
soothed Hin! oh, there was good deal in
what the title sick child said upon whom
surgical operation OF a painful nature must be
performed! The doctor said, sThat child won't
live through this operation unless you en-
courage him. You go In and get his CONSENT
The father told him all ths doctor said, and ad.
died. Now Joan, will you go through with il?
Will you G ,nsent to III" Helooked very pale,
and he thou yhJ minute and said, Yes, fath-
sr. if you =. III hold my hand WIFI So the
father held his hand, and led him straight
l.